Chapter 127 - Work

"That is all happening in the south, my lord."

"Thank you, Richard. Is there anything else?"

I nod at Richard, who tells me about the situation in the south and how there are a few hundred or so refugees from the Frederick Duchy. It looks like Duke Frederick do a purge for a stupid reason. He thought there was a rebellion going to happen in his territory to overthrow him from power.

There is none. However, because of this purge, there will be an attempt to kill Phineas Frederick or his family members.

"Yes, my lord. There is news from further south."

"Oh? The Holy Light Empire?"

"Yes. There is news from the Holy Light Empire. My shadow says there is a weird movement from the Holy Kyna Church."

"What kind of movement?"

"They secretly support the first prince of the empire. They sent their holy knight disguised as an ordinary knight to support the first prince."

"That means they want to finish the war earlier than we thought it would be."

"That is right. Not only that but there is also a rumor that the church wants to declare a Crusade against the entire continent."

"Right after the Succession war?"

"No. I think they will declare a holy crusade a few years after the succession war."

"I see. Make sure to keep an eye on the Holy Church of Kyna, will you?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. Anything else?"

"No. There is nothing else, my lord."

"Very well."

I nod my head and look at Ayas.

"Lastly, Ayas. How is the treasury?"

"Like usual my lord. Nothing unusual."

"How is the profit from the trade?"

"We are doing good. As Rovul said earlier, the trade with the east and the north is doing great. However, there is some grumbling from the Central and Southern merchants. They keep shouting and demanding we decrease our price. Some of them even hire a thug from their place to 'intimidate' our merchants to sell our goods for a lower price."

"Ah. I remember my wife saying something about a group of foreigner thugs coming from a ship to make a ruckus. I think they have been taken care of."

"Yes. While some of them are willing to back down and go back to their home, many decide to use force. Lucky for us, Lady Lucina and the City watch, ready to beat them up. Many of them are killed, and some of them have been sent to the northern port to do their forced labor."

"I know. I'm proud of her."

I really am. Unlike most noble ladies, she is an active person. She did not like talking about perfume, handsome men, or even gossiping about other ladies. She was not a tomboy kind of woman, but she was not overly girly like the woman in the south.

"Anyway, the gold inside the vault is in good condition. There is no loss for this month. Also, the Lazuli Kingdom sent a hundred golds to us saying that it was a payment for the Greenhouse."

"Haaaa"

I already told Johannes, the king of Lazuli Kingdom, that those Green Houses are the gift for the alliance between us and their kingdom. However, they keep sending us money even though they need it more than us.

"Just put it under an emergency fund, will you?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing at the moment, my lord."

"Good. Before we end this meeting, I need to tell you something, Ayas."

"Yes?"

"I need you to calculate how much money is needed to make a new village."

"How big?"

"I want two times the size of my family's private farm. While there is still space in Sea Dragon City, it will not last. I have a plan to move some of the people here to live in that village. I want to make a village for at least five hundred people."

"The location?"

"The north. Near the Lake of Satin."

"I see. That is a perfect spot for a village, but there is one problem. If not for the thick snow, it will be a perfect one."

"Yes. That is why I want you to hire a group of workers to clear out the area enough for the builder to build a village there. I will also create a Magic Field around the area to reduce the snow falling."

"Very well. When I'm done calculating the gold we need, I will report to you, my lord."

"Thank you, Ayas."

"It is my pŀėȧsurė."

I nod at him and look at the other before saying.

"If there is nothing else?"

Seeing no one saying anything, I nodded my head and said.

"Then you are dismissed."

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|Elizabeth Ainsworth von Lionheart POV|

"Now, that is all for today's lesson."

Hearing Isaac saying those words, I let my body fall to the ground as I feel my body cannot handle another beating. Today's training is rough. After a few months in the north and after a few months of training, Isaac decided to increase my training.

If before he was holding back really hard, now? He decided to fight me with almost all his got. He still did not use his magic or rune (as he called it), and he only used his spear to fight me, who used all I have. From sword to magic, and even with all that, I cannot defeat him.

Even with the increase in my stats, I don't have enough experience to get a clean hit. I already do a self-scan and see that my body is already growing stronger. Much stronger than what I dream of.

|Elizabeth Ainsworth von Lionheart|

|Duchess Rank|

|17 years old|

|Human|

|STR: 67|

|VIT: 85|

|INT: 103|

|WIS: 125|

Yeah. My strength grew tremendously in a few months of intense training, a healthy diet, and growth potions. If I join the military, I think I will be a captain of a squad by now, maybe a hundred army captains.

"Yeah, I'm still not even close to them."

The gap between Isaac and me is still big. I don't know if I can reach where Isaac and Lucina stand, but I want to reach where they are right now. I don't want to become a burden after all.

"Eli, come on! Lunch will start soon."

"Coming!"

I get up from the ground and walk toward Isaac and Lucina, who receive me with a warm smile. I smile back at them and walk toward them.

This is what I want to protect. The smile and the warm feeling I get from them. In my previous and even my early life in this world, I never got the same warm feeling both Lucina, and Isaac gave to me.

They are really like me. They treat me like a real family. They did not treat me like trash because I want to be a mangaka or treat me like nothing but a political bargain. No. They treat me as if I'm a member of their family since the day I was born.

Even my grandmother started to warm up. She never smiles and only smiles to show some respect to the other noble in the capital, but here? She smiles because she enjoys life. No one's gonna stab her in the back, and no one wants to poison her to take her power.

Here, both Grandma and I become our own selves. Here we can enjoy ourselves without worrying about a knife in the back or poison in our food. Here we can be a family that we never have.

Yes. I want to protect this piece of heaven I currently have, and no one can take it from me. No one.. I will make sure of it.